Dispensing apparatus for carbonated beverages



E R. TAYLOR July 23, 1940.

DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR CARBONATED BEVERAGES Filed March 20, 1937 FIG 3' INVEN TOR FIG. 8

R. TAYLOR EDWARD Patented July 23, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTFOFFICEF DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR. CARBONATED BEVERAGES EdwardR.'Taylor, RockyRiver, I 7 Application March 20, 1937,;Serial No. 132,029

' 6 Claims." (01. 225-:41'y

This invention relates to dispensing apparatus for carbonated beverages, of the general type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,125,248, granted July 26, 1938, and the objects of the present invention are to provide improvements in said apparatus and particularly in a container having separate liquid and foam outlets, a faucet having separate liquid and foam controls and connections between such container and faucet.

As to thefaucet, objects are to provide one having. valves of plunger type controlled by a single handle, wherein the parts are inexpensively manufactured, easily assembled, and disassembled as for cleaning, and particularly 1 wherein decarbonation of theliquid will be mini:

mized, all as will appear. Other objects are to provide a simplified and otherwise improved container and connections therefrom to the faucet, wherein cleaning is facilitated and smooth flow of the liquid is had.

As beer is a characteristic liquid to be dispensed, for convenience specific reference will be made. thereto only.

The exact nature of this invention together with further objects and advantages thereof will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a typical vertical section showing the parts assembled for operation, the valves so, being, in closed position; Fig. 2 is a similar view of parts appearing in Fig. 1 but showing the beer valve as in open position; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation as in the planes of line 3--3, Fig. 1; Fig.4 is a horizontal section in the 35 planes indicated by line 44, Fig. 1; Fig.5 is a transverse section as in the plane of line 5--5, Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail in elevation of valve and cage parts appearing in Figs. 1, 2and 3; Fig. 7 is a transverse section as in the plane of ,lihe 1-1, Fig. 6; and Fig; 8'i's a face View of the outlet end of the faucet.

With reference now to the drawing, l is a valve body having a pair of ported valve seats la, la"

in side: by side relation, and separate inlet and 5; I 0 and lc are preferably non-:circular, as illustrated in Fig. 8 so' that flow will be straight therethrough without whirl, and the streams will not spread upon leavingthe nozzle. The valve body I extends upwardly above the valve ports: and. is provided with parallel bores id and ld,. each. aligned with one of the valve seats,these bores being of smaller diameter ad-' jacent their valve seats than thereabove as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the body being enlarged as at l-dto provide a cavity If communieating between the bores and closed by the re movable cover lg, and the body also having annular cavities immediately above the valve seats. For each. bore is provided a valve 2, 2, slidable' in: the lower part of the bore as a valve way and provided with a washer for sealing upon its seat, and: thereabove a valve cage 3, the cage having upper and lower portions 3a and 3b slidablein the bore respectively above and below the cavity l'f. Each valve has detachable connection with its cage as by.- the threads indicated in Figs. 1' and 3. Sealing means such as the rubber gasket 4 backed by coiled spring 4a, being provided between the valveand cage and there elTective between the valve and bore.

Each valve is yieldably urged to seated position by a spring 5yacting in compressionbetween the upper endof itscage and a closure 6, suitable centering projections being provided for the spring, upon, cage andclosure as illustrated. The closure 6* preferably extends laterally to back both springs 5 andis detachably secured upon the valve'body l' as by a pair of screws as indi-. cated in Fig. 3.

Means are provided for controlling both valves from a common handle I as follows: A rock shaft- 8- ofz square or otherwise non-circular section, is mounted as by bushings 8a in the side walls of. the body, to extend transversely through the: cages 3 and project beyond the body where it fits in the yokearms' Ia of the handle, andis there retained as by the set screws indicated. For each valve acam 9= is mounted on the shaft 8 within its cage, having a lobe engageable with the head end part 3a of the cage-which latter may be provided with a wear plate 30 adjustable as by a backing screw threaded in the cage to engage the end of the wear plate stem. as illustrated, to be wiped by the cam, each cage having. its end parts;3a;,and-3b joined in spaced relation by four post members 3e as best shown in Figs; 6 and 7, and the parts being so proportioned and arranged as to clear both shaft 8 and earns 9, the. cams being located endwise on the shaft between pairs of posts 3d and the cavity If permitting handle is pushed rearwardly as in Fig. 2, the foam For separate delivery valve only is unseated by its cam 9, and when the handle is pulled forwardly from. its closed upright position the beer valve only is unseated. The annular cavities in the valve bores above the valves 2 andZ' are in communication with the inlet passageways lb and lb through the valve guiding portions of the body. It results therefore that when the faucet is opened unseating of the valve 2 carries the seal '4 from its lower position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to its upper position shown in Fig. 2, thus placing the cavity chamber in communication with the inlet passageway so ;.=that beer or foam (depending upon which valve is open) flows upwardly into the annular cavity. at the same moment that the associated valveis unseated; This permits the beerv or :foam. toexpend its pressure upwardly into the cavity at the moment the valve is cracked which prevents spitting at the faucet outlet. No appreciable expansion takes'place on this flow into the annular cavities but it is merely an instantaneous outlet for the fluid pressure upwardlyat .the moment the valve begins to open.

For serving the faucet an auxiliary container I is provide d,.having a cover I l with an inlet connection [2 for beer from a cooling coil, it being intended that the container Ill be submerged in a cooling liquid as more fully described in my above named patent. The cover includes a nozzle lZa so directing the inflowingbeer that the latter will spread smoothly. over a plate l3 within the container. ID, to increase the exposed surface area of the beer stream with minimum turbulent effect upon the latter. 'The. cover is provided with an outlet member l4 having a pair of passages I40. and l lb. The passage Ma, which is for beer, has a coil Me connected to it and disposed within the container. in, terminating adjacent the bottom of the latter, the passage through this coil being somewhat smaller than the passage inlet l2 so that the coil forms sufficient choke against outflow fromthe container that pressure within the container will bemaintained approximately independent of'outflowaof beer. The passage Mb which is :forrfoam, leads from the .upper end of the container chamber. 7

For connection between container and faucet, a straight beertube I 5 is provided leading directly from theend of the passage [4a in the container cover to the inlet end of the passage lb in the faucet. This tube may be rigidly secured in the faucet and detachably inserted into the end of the container outlet I l and there provided with a gasket a. l

of foam from the container to the faucet, a pipe I6 is arranged about the tube l5 to provide an annular foam passage, leading from-an annular cavity in the face ofv the container outlet l4 into which cavity the passage l4b delivers, to the annular cavity lb" in the faucet body I. For the purpose this tube l6 may be threadedintothe faucet body, a sleeve l! perforated'as at lla threaded upon its opposite end and secured to the container outlet M as by a collar l8, sealing gaskets illustrated in Fig. 1 being arranged to be effective between the sleeve l1 and its adjacent parts l4 and -l6.- I

For mounting the faucet and container upon the wall A of a cooling box or the like, and through which the beverage is to be dispensed, the pipe l6 may be threaded as indicated to receive a nut ill by which the wall A is clamped between the nut and the inlet end of the faucet, the latter being preferably provided with the flange indicated and the usual washer provided under the nut.

It will be apparent that the beier passage throughout the apparatus is as direct and smooth as possible so as to provide least disturbance to beer flow with a minimum of beer turbulence.

It will also be noted that all parts are easily disassemblable for thorough cleaning.

In servicing the faucet, removal of the cap 6 permits removal of the springs 5. Thereafter removal of the handle 1 from the shaft 8 permits its endwise withdrawal, and removal of the cover lg permits removal of the cams 9, whereupon the cages with their valves may be withdrawn from their bores for replacement of the valve washers,

and the valves detached from their cages as for replacement of the gaskets 4.

While reference herein is made to beer and foam as the fluids to be handled, it will be understoodthat my invention is not limited by applica tion to any particular beverage other than that said beverage be of the carbonated type. Thus the invention is equally applicable to non-alcoholic beverages such as gingerale, as to the beer mentioned throughout herein for convenience.

What I claim is:

1. In a faucet for the purpose described, a body having a pair of valve seats and separate passages therefor having separate outlets, valves for said seats, and control means for said valves arranged to have a closed position wherein both valves are seated, and for each valve an open position wherein that valve only is unseated.

2. In a faucet for the purpose described, a body having a pair of bores each providing a valve way with a valve seat, said body having separate passages for said seats, a cage slidable in each bore and a valve in each way attached to one end part of its cage, a shaft mounted in said body and extending transversely through both said cages, acam mounted on said shaft within each cage, and arranged to move the latter to unseat its valve, a handle arranged to control said shaft, saidcams being so arranged that said' handle has a closed position wherein both valves areseated, and for each-valve an open position wherein that valve only is unseated.

S. In a faucet for the purpose described, a body having a bore providing a valve Way with a valve seat, a cage slidable in said boreand a valve in said way attached tosaid cage, 'a shaft mounted in said body and extending transversely through said cage, a wear plate adjustably mounted on.

said cage, a cam mounted on said shaft within said cage and arranged to bear upon said wear plate to move said cage to unseat said valve, and

2,2oe,e 1 1 inlet passagewayby opening movement of said valve. I l

5. In a faucet, a body having a bore providing a valve way with at valve seat, a valve in said way coacting with said seat and openable against fluid inlet pressure, there being fluid inlet and outlet passageways in said body leading respectively to and from said valve seat, there being an annular cavity in said bore in communication with said inlet passageway, sealing means in said cavity and movable with said valve, said sealing means preventing fluid flow into said cavity when said valve is seated, and said sealing means being movable with said valve when it is opened to permit fluid flow into said cavity, whereby fluid under pressure flows into said cavity at the instant said valve is opened minimizing spitting at said outlet passageway when said fluid is under pressure.

6. Means for interconnecting separate beer and foam passages between a container and faucet, comprising a cylindrical tube of smaller diameter connecting said beer passages, a cylindrical tube of larger diameter surrounding said smaller tube and providing an annular passage, means connecting said annular passage with said foam passages at both container and faucet ends thereof, whereby beer flows smoothly through the central passage and foam follows the more turbulent passage through the annular passage and its connecting means, and rotatable connections between said cylindrical tubes and said container and faucet.

EDWARD R. TAYLOR. 

